Health Habits Guide: The How-To’s For Body Transformation

In the last article about health habits, I made a point to help you see that not all health advice is the best advice, even when it’s backed by good intention. And that’s because it must come with some type of context for your personal needs.

We covered a bit about what habits are, how hard they are to change, and I even referenced some ideas from my book Stay Leaner, Longer.

In this article, I’m going to give you a framework to build health habits that stick.

At the end of the last article, I promised to tell you about the following:

Why everything you know about creating new habits and goal-setting is probably wrong.

The most powerful concept I know to help change your behavior (it all has to do with how you actually perceive yourself).

A simple, but powerful, 5-step habit creation framework you can implement immediately.

Most Goal-Setting Advice Is Good Intentioned, But Hard To Implement

The traditional goal-setting advice is to set S.M.A.R.T. Goals. S.M.A.R.T. is an acronym for “specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely.”

Now while I don’t disagree with this idea, I want to take it further and actually give you the framework on how to set a goal and work toward it.

Anyone can sit down and write out a specific, measurable, realistic goal that is measurable and timely, but how do you actually go about actually getting yourself to do the work?

That’s the hard part. Because while it’s fairly easy to sit down to daydream and brainstorm and put your goals to paper, the taking action part is tough.

This is why it’s easy to get caught in a trap of thinking there are some people who just get things done while others only procrastinate.

The only difference between these people is calculated action.

Taking calculated action is a combination of being willing to do the daily work and having clarity on what needs to happen.

Anything you do on a daily basis, as you now know from the last article, is considered a habit.

But when it comes to actually creating a new habit, it’s easy to get discouraged because change is hard even when we know that the change might improve our lives or make us happier.

I know, it doesn’t seem to make sense, but it’s true. We crave familiarity, even if it’s not doing us any good.

For a quick example, let’s use the topic of fat loss. When most people are starting out with a goal of fat loss, the entire process can seem overwhelming.

Depending on where you’re at on your journey, some of the above might be easy for you.

But for many wanting to make changes, this list might be incomplete considering all you have to deal with.

When you’re trying to create new habits and kick the bad habits, you’re attempting to change your behavior.

And changing your behavior is no easy feat because, as I mentioned in the health habits article, Charles Duhigg estimates more than 40 percent of your daily actions are not conscious decisions, but unconscious habits.

How To Change Behavior (Keeping It Simple Wins Every Time)

Ever wonder why people fail miserably with their New Year’s Resolutions? There are many reasons, but the main problems are a lack of a plan that is manageable, and most people try to change too much at once.

They want to go to the gym, eat better, join a running club, get up earlier, commit to reading a new book each week, keeping a journal and the list goes on and on.

And before you know it, the changes people try to implement last a few weeks at best, and they’re back to their old routine.

This is due to inertia—it’s easier to fall back to what’s familiar and ultimately, remain unchanged.

Who You Choose To Be Defines Your Health Habits (Identity-Based Habits)

There are lots of processes for building new habits or breaking bad ones, but the method I love the most is known as Identity-Based Habits.

And to make it as simple as possible, this is the premise of the approach:

You have beliefs about the world and yourself.

Those beliefs dictate your actions and behaviors.

Those practices determine who you become, and who you become is your identity.

Your identity defines character traits and what makes you unique.

If you don’t believe you can change, then you probably won’t.

But this isn’t because of some magical, woo-woo idea that your beliefs automatically create your reality.

This is because our beliefs influence how we perceive the world around us.

It determines how we think. And our perception and our thoughts determine our actions.

So if you don’t believe you can be stronger, leaner, more active, and in better health, you probably won’t be.

And it’s not because this reality is impossible for you. It’s because you don’t do what it takes to get there.

Here’s a quick mental exercise:

Imagine someone you know of who is exactly how you want to be. They’ve reached some goal that you aspire to.

The good news is this: if someone has achieved something, it’s most likely entirely possible for someone else.

They might be strong in the gym. Maybe they have six-pack abs. Maybe they’re an early riser.

But more importantly, the person’s belief about themselves allows them to put in the work to get the results they want.

Accomplished athletes have a belief that they’re the type of person who is disciplined enough never to miss a training session.

They always get to bed on time and eat enough to fuel recovery and good health.

High achievers in business possess a belief that their time is valuable, and that they should use it wisely while hiring others to help bear the load of daily operations.

As a result, you won’t see them spending time doing things they’re not good at.

To reach your goals and change your health habits, you have to begin assuming the identity of those who are where you want to be.

When working on assuming the identity of the person you wish to be, you must know two things:

You must adopt a similar belief system

You must act in a similar manner

When going about adopting a similar belief system, you must deconstruct a few things, first.

What do they believe about themselves?

What do they do daily?

Let’s break it down.

What do they believe about themselves?

How you see yourself, and your situation is a product of your beliefs.

Again, if you think you can change, and want to bad enough, you’ll start to figure out HOW to make the change.

If you have a limited view and see your situation ‘fixed,’ then you might not take actions to change your behavior (because why attempt to change what is fixed and permanent?).

Most high achievers have a belief in themselves that their goals are possible and within reach.

But how do you instill a belief if you’re intimidated or unsure about losing 20 pounds, or getting a six-pack for the first time?

You pick small changes to implement and work on those first.

It’s like the example above—making massive change all at once is never doable.

Most people don’t have the willpower and discipline, or environment (which is a much bigger determinant of outcomes than you might imagine) to change a bunch of habits at once.

So it’s better to start small.

And when you start small and prove to yourself that you can get to the gym no matter what, or eat more meals at home consistently, then you start to build momentum.

Consistency is the mother of all progress.

And as you make progress, you build momentum.

And as you pick up momentum, belief builds in your ability to make things happen.

And as the belief forms, you get more comfortable making changes.

Again, start with the smallest goals first.

Commit to those changes, and build the belief in yourself required to continue the follow-through. As you build discipline, making more changes becomes easier.

As you build discipline with doing your one thing, making more changes becomes easier.

Let’s look at the next aspect of assuming the identity of someone making significant progress.

What do they do?

We already know that their belief in themselves is what allows them to make progress and be consistent (which is what matters most).

But what do they do?

It’s different for everyone, but success leaves clues.

Any professional athlete has a particular and specific practice schedule. They have a set amount of work that has to get done each day to improve their skills and abilities.

So if your goal was to be leaner, stronger, and confident in your bathing suit?

Look at what that person is doing every day.

What do they eat?

What type of training are they doing?

How much time do they spend meal prepping?

How closely do they track their daily calorie intake?

How do they manage stress?

What daily actions led to them the place they’re in today?

Answer those questions, and you’ll have an idea of what’s expected.

There’s a lot of questions to ask, but once you figure out the behaviors, you can begin to implement the same behaviors to get a similar result.

But don’t worry if you don’t know the answer to every question… you don’t have to know it all at once. All that matters is you aim to make one change at a time, and continue doing so. Just keep getting better, systematically over time.

Build Better Health Habits In 5 Steps

The main things to remember are that no one particular health habit is going to be the same for everyone.

It all depends on the context of your own life, needs, wants, and goals.

What you want and need is going to depend on where you’re at right now.

I’ve created a set of simple steps to help you implement lasting behavior change below.

Determine what habits you’d like to create or change, and a develop a reason why (dig deep—how much will you regret it if you don’t make this change?)

Pick 1 change at a time and stick to it until it becomes part of your routine.

Build a habit loop — once you create a new habit, start another one that builds on top of the other (habit stacking).

Identify with and become the person who has achieved a similar goal. Adopt similar habits and actions, and above all remain consistent. I want you building momentum over time.

Get support/reinforcement/accountability as necessary to keep you on track.

Strict diets and exhausting workouts suck.

So I created fitness programs that don’t. If you’re tired of always feeling guilty about what you eat and wasting your time in the gym, then I invite you to check ’em out. They’re designed specifically for people who want to spend LESS time in the gym and the kitchen.